proverb · Words worth keeping
Happiness is a place between too little and too much.
Happiness is a place between too little and too much.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Happiness placed between too little and too much gives enough an image of balance. The saying questions both deprivation and excess.
What the words are saying
This is an evaluative perspective, not a measurable formula for well-being. Needs and circumstances differ, and basic deprivation should not be romanticised as moderation. A useful application asks what is sufficient for the particular person or task without prescribing a universal amount.
Everyday example
Someone considers what meets their actual needs rather than copying another person’s idea of enough.
When to use it
Use it as a perspective on sufficiency with individual circumstances considered.
What it does not mean
No universal happiness threshold or value in deprivation is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
Denmark
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 736; PDF page 68; collection label: Denmark
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Denmark